The Hiccup Conspiracy
by CSI-girl419
Summary: Calleigh and Eric find that they have a very strange connection.......
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own any of it :(

**Caution**: Pure fluff ahead!

**The Hiccup Conspiracy**

"Hic! Hic!"

'What on earth?' Eric Delko thought looking around the lab. He stood up from the layout table and went to investigate the source of the strange sound.

"Hic! Hic!"

Eric finally tracked the sound to the ballistics lab where he found a very flustered Calleigh Duquesne. "Cal," he started to ask, "have you...", but he was cut short when she turned to face him and he discovered the source of the noise.

"Have I..Hic!...what?" she asked, a giant hiccup cutting her off.

"Never mind," he said with a smile, stepping further into lab, "Are you alright?"

"No I'm not...Hic!..okay." she said, sounding very irritated, "These blasted hiccups are...Hic!.. making it really hard to fire in a...Hic!...straight line!"

"Have you tried holding your breath?" Eric suggested.

"Yes, and just about every other...Hic!...remedy I can think of." Calleigh said, "It's just no...Hic!..use!"

"Hmmm," said Eric, rubbing his throat as he thought for a moment.

Suddenly Calleigh's hiccups stopped all together. "Wow," Calleigh said, "that was really weird."

"What was weird?" Eric asked, confused.

"You rubbed your throat and my hiccups stopped," Calleigh explained with a smile.

"Maybe I'm magic!" Eric teased with a grin.

"Oh please!" Calleigh said, rolling her eyes, "It was just a coincidence."

"Come on," Eric said, teasing her a little more, "you know it was my charming personality that stopped you hiccups."

"Gag me!" Calleigh smiled, sticking her finger down her throat to enforce the expression. As she did so Eric gagged for real.

"Why did you gag?" Calleigh asked, laughing at her co-worker, "It was just an expression."

"I know," he said, looking confused, "I was fine until you put your finger in your mouth. Maybe you have some sort of hold on me."

"Yeah right," Calleigh said, turning back to her guns, "It was just another weird coincidence."

"No seriously Calleigh," he said, leaning over the counter, "What if you can control my gag reflex, and I can control your hiccups?"

"I think you've been reading one too many of Alexx's medical mysteries books." Calleigh said with a smile.

"Well we're scientists," Eric said with a mischievous look on his face, "what do you say we conduct a little experiment to prove my theory."

Calleigh thought about it for a moment and then said, "Alright you're on, but I'm only doing this to prove that it was just a coincidence."

"Okay then," Eric said, perching himself on a stool opposite Calleigh, "Put your finger down your throat just like you did a minute ago." Calleigh did so and again Eric gagged. "See!" Eric said gleefully, "I told you it's not a coincidence."

"You saw me put my finger down my throat," Calleigh argued, "You could have faked a gag to prove your point."

"Alright then," he said, "This time I'll turn my back to you and prove that I'm not faking it." He turned his back on Calleigh and they repeated the experiment. The exact moment that Calleigh put her finger in her mouth Eric gagged. They repeated the experiment over and over again, from different places in the room, but they got the same results time after time.

"Wow," Calleigh said, after a long while "I think you might be right in this case, but what about my hiccups that you so "miraculously" cured?"

"Well," Eric said crawling out front under the counter where he had been sitting during their latest test, "Let's test it. What was I doing exactly when your hiccups stopped?"

"You were rubbing your adam's apple." Calleigh said looking at Eric like he'd lost his mind.

"Like this?" he asked rubbing his throat. The instant his hand touched his adam's apple, Calleigh's hiccups came back. They both just stood there for a moment looking at each other.

"Make them...Hic!...stop!" Calleigh pleaded. Eric rubbed his throat again and the hiccups ceased instantly.

"That is without a doubt the weirdest thing I've ever seen!" Eric said laughing.

"I'd have to agree," Calleigh said, giggling at the stupidity of it all, "But let's test it some more, just to make sure we aren't totally making it up." A half an hour later both Calleigh and Eric were throughly convinced that they had some sort of connection, bizarre as it was.

A/N: Oddly enough my sister and her guy friend have this exact connection. I got the idea from them.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next day Eric found himself sitting in a boring staff meeting. Horatio had just finished giving them a lecture about the importance of filling out all of the paper work for their cases (during which Calleigh had been making snide comments to Eric about how much paper work he left undone), when Calleigh got up to make a short little presentation to a visitor from the federal crime lab. Eric, who was slightly irritated at Calleigh at that moment, suddenly got an evil idea. He smiled mischievously as Calleigh began her speech. A few lines into her presentation, Eric casually rubbed his throat, causing Calleigh to catch a bad case of the hiccups.

"The Miami crime...Hic!...lab has had an increase of 30 percent...Hic!...in its solve rates since last year, making it one...Hic!...of the most successful crime labs in the...Hic!...country." Calleigh said, trying to give her speech around the hiccups. Suddenly it dawned on her what was going on. She continued her speech, but sent a glare Eric's way. When he caught her gaze he simply smiled and rubbed his throat again, releasing her from her curse. A few moments later, however, with Calleigh watching, Eric again rubbed his throat, this time giving Calleigh hiccups so severe that she could barely talk. She finished her presentation, although she wasn't sure how much of the information had gotten through to her audience, and took her seat. As she sat down, Eric rubbed his throat and the hiccups stopped.

"You are so dead!" she whispered venomously in Eric's ear.

"I love you too." Eric whispered back trying not to snicker.

Calleigh spent the rest of the day trying to figure out how to get Eric back for the trick he had pulled on her. It wasn't until she found Natalia in the DNA lab later that afternoon, that she decided on a plan of action.

"So what are you doing this weekend?" Natalia asked as they waited for the sample to finish processing.

"Oh the usual," Calleigh said smiling, "Date with Ryan, then catching up on household chores. What about you?"

"Eric and I are going to dinner on Friday and then who knows what." Natalia said smiling.

"Oh really," Calleigh said, an evil smile curling her lip, "Where's he taking you?"

"The Edgemont," Natalia said, naming an upscale restaurant downtown.

"That sounds like a lot of fun." Calleigh said, still grinning at her plan. Just then the printer released the results of the swab which Calleigh snatched up and then she left the lab. 'Boy is Eric in for a surprising date this weekend' Calleigh thought as she headed for the layout room.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Friday night came and Calleigh couldn't wait to put her plan into action. She had called in a favor with a friend of hers who worked at the Edgemont, and had been able to get a table near where Natalia and Eric were sitting; close enough that she could hear what was being said at their table, but far enough away that they wouldn't notice her.

The date started off smoothly enough, drinks and appetizers were served and the conversation was light and easy. Just as the main course was being served, however, Calleigh found the perfect opening for her little addition to his date.

"Mmmm," Natalia was saying, "this is amazing! It taste just like my mom's! What do you think of it Eric?"

Before Eric could answer, he found himself gagging violently. Natalia gave him a strange look. "You don't have to be that rude about it," she said, frowning slightly "Just sent it back and get something else."

"No, No," Eric said quickly, "It is really good, I...ah...just had something in my throat."

"Oh," Natalia said, accepting his excuse. The two continued to eat and enjoy each other's company.

Several times through out the meal at opportune moments, Calleigh would repeat the gagging stunt and then sit back and listen to the aftermath, struggling to contain her laughter as Eric tried to explain himself out of every situation.

After dinner, she followed them to Natalia's house where they said goodnight. Eric and Natalia stood on the porch talking softly and Calleigh crouched in the bushes nearby so she could catch every word.

"I had a nice time tonight," Natalia said, smiling at Eric, "Thanks for taking me."

"You are very welcome," he said grinning back. They stood there looking at each other for several minutes.

"So do I get a goodnight kiss?" Natalia said hopefully.

Eric knew exactly what was coming, but he couldn't do anything about it. He gagged so violently that for a moment he wondered if he was going to loose his entire dinner all over Natalia's front porch.

He looked up at Natalia after it had passed and he saw the tears in her eyes. "Well if that's how you really feel about me," she said, tears cascading down her cheeks.

"Natalia, I.." Eric started.

"I don't want to hear it," she said, her voice as cold as ice, "Goodbye Eric" she said slamming the door in his face.

"Natalia," he said pounding softly on the door, "it isn't like that! Let me explain!" When nothing but silence answered him he turned from the door and walked angrily to the car, muttering under his breath, "Calleigh Duquesne, this is war."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Calleigh and Ryan's date was the very next night and Calleigh could hardly wait. Ryan had been hinting all week that something big was going to happen tonight and Calleigh was hoping it would be the proposal she'd been waiting two years for. She still felt somewhat guilty about last night, but she had already decided that she would tell Natalia the whole story first thing Monday morning. That was not going to detract from her special evening.

She had just finished getting ready when the doorbell rang. She hurried to the door and found Ryan standing there with a big smile on his face. "You ready to go?" he asked.

"Yep, just let me grab my purse," she said and then they were out the door.

The first half of the date went wonderfully, dinner was spectacular and they had a great time laughing and talking. Later they made their way down to the beach. They were walking hand in hand down the beach when Ryan stopped to turn and face her.

"Calleigh," he began nervously, "You are the most beautiful person I have ever met. You are also strong, independent, compassionate, loving, and I couldn't imagine a day without you by my side."

As he launched into the most romantic speech Calleigh had ever heard, she smiled and inside she was dancing for joy. He was asking her to marry him! The day she had waited for for almost two years was finally here! Just as the speech was getting to its climax Calleigh felt an odd sensation and a moment later began hiccuping. 'I'm going to kill Eric Delko!' she thought to herself, 'he's ruining the most romantic moment of my life!'

"Calleigh," Ryan continued, although he looked at her kind of oddly when she began hiccuping, "I love you more than life itself. Will you marry me?" He opened the ring box and presented a beautiful diamond ring to her.

"Oh...Hic!...Ryan!" she said, annoyed by the hiccups, but not about to pass up this moment, "Of course...Hic!...I'll...Hic!...marry...Hic!...you!" He slipped the ring on her finger and pulled her into a kiss, a kiss which should have been very romantic, but through very persistent hiccups was deemed difficult.

"I...Hic!...love you...Hic!...Ryan!" she said softly in his ear.

"I love you too Cal" he said with a big smile on his face.

A third party watched from a relatively safe distance and chuckled when he saw the glare directed toward him from the bride-to-be. He just smiled innocently and waved. He knew he was a dead man.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Monday morning found a very irrate blond stalking the halls of CSI in search of a certain Cuban conspirator. She found him in the largest layout room working on a case.

"What the heck did you think you were pulling Saturday night?" she said, staring him down.

"Just a little pay back for Friday night." he said meeting her gaze.

"That was a joke!" she yelled, "You screwed up a perfectly good proposal."

"A joke!" Eric shot back, "I lost my girlfriend because of you!"

"She'll come back to you," Calleigh said, leaning in, "But I can never get back last night, it was a one time deal!"

"It was just a stupid proposal Cal!" Eric yelled back, "As long as you said yes, it doesn't matter what happened that night!"

"Just a proposal! JUST a proposal!" Calleigh yelled, her eyes filled with fire, "You make me sick!" She stuck her finger down her throat to prove her point. Eric gagged.

"Oh yeah?" Eric said, rubbing his throat, giving Calleigh a severe case of hiccups.

Calleigh replied by gagging Eric again and again. Eric increased the power of Calleigh's hiccups. Eventually it got to the point where they both could barely breathe.

"Truce? Hic! Hic! Hic!" Calleigh panted.

"Okay" Eric squeaked out.

Both released their holds on each other and they collapse to the ground breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry about Natalia," Calleigh said after a few moments, "I'll talk to her, explain the whole thing."

Eric nodded, clutching his stomach. "I'm sorry about your proposal," he added, "I wish I could make it up to you."

She smiled. "No you were right," she said, "The important thing was that I said yes."

They both sat in silence for a few minutes before Calleigh started to laugh. Eric joined her and pretty soon they were both laughing so hard that they were nearly crying. The stupidity of it all! Soon their fits of laughter got the attention of most of the crime lab. Horatio came in followed by the rest the CSI 'family'.

"What is going on in here?" asked Horatio, totally bewildered by the fact that two of his finest CSI were lying on the ground convulsing with fits of laughter.

"Nothing, H," Eric said gaining enough composure to stand and offer a hand to Calleigh to help her up.

"Nothing you would understand anyway," Calleigh mumbled just loud enough that only Eric could hear.

"Alright then I suggest we all get back to work," Horatio said turning for the door.

Just before he got there Ryan rubbed his eyes and said, "I have a feeling this is going to be a very long day." The moment that Ryan rubbed his eyes, Horatio sneezed very loudly.

"Bless you!" Calleigh said.

"Wait a minute Ryan," Eric said, a smile curling up his face, "do that again."

"What?" Ryan asked confused.

"Rub your eyes." Eric said unable to suppress a grin.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Calleigh asked, grinning up at Eric.

"Oh yeah!" Eric laughed.

Ryan rubbed his eyes again and they were rewarded with another sneeze from Horatio. Both Calleigh and Eric dissolved into peals of hysterical laughter, neither one being able to stop long enough to explain it their very confused co-workers.

The End


End file.
